Last season was another very good year for the ACC sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament and two to the College World Series. But at the same time, last year was a bit disappointing with North Carolina and Clemson getting eliminated in the regionals, and Louisville not even making it to the CWS semi-finals. They’ll once again have seven or eight teams make the NCAA Tournament, but I don’t see a dominant team that is front runner to win it all. Below is a preview of the Atlantic Division while the ACC Coastal Division Preview is available by clicking here.
Boston College (2017 Record: 25-28, 11-19)
Things got out to a rough start in conference play for Boston College last year as they went 1-14 in their first 15 conference games. But they finished up strong going 10-5 the rest of the way in conference, but went two-and-out in the ACC Baseball Tournament.
Lineup:
Junior catcher Gian Martellini comes back after hitting .302 last year with 38 runs scored, 14 doubles, 5 home runs and 35 RBI. Middle infielder Jake Palomaki should get a full-time starting job in his senior season. Last year he hit .281 in 128 at-bats with 28 runs scored and 7 stolen bases. Jake Alu will be back after leading the team with a .331 average last year to go along with 24 runs scored, 9 doubles, 23 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Those three will form a solid top of the order for Boston College.
Pitching:
Senior Jake Stevens should be back in the weekend rotation after starting 16 games for Boston College last year with a 5.10 ERA in 83 innings with 42 strikeouts. Junior lefty Dan Metzdorf should get another shot in the weekend rotation as well after posting a 5.06 ERA in 80 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts. Brian Rapp was another solid starter for Boston College last year with a 4.90 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts. He’ll be back for his senior season. Lefty Carmen Giampetruzzi and John Witkowski are expected to be a big part of the bullpen. Brendan Spagnuolo is a transfer from Vanderbilt who was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year. Same for redshirt freshman Joe Walsh. Both could have a major impact on the pitching staff in 2018.
2018 Outlook:
Associate Head Coach Alex Trezza mentions run production, team ERA, base running and consistency as areas they hope to improve on over the upcoming season.
Clemson (2017 Record: 42-21, 17-13)
The Tigers had a very good 2017 season, but they really struggled down the stretch losing their last three ACC series, including being swept by Louisville and North Carolina, and then they went two-and-out in the ACC Tournament. They still hosted an NCAA Regional, but were eliminated by Vanderbilt.
Lineup:
Seth Beer yet again returns to the middle of the lineup. His stocked dropped a bit in 2017 even though he hit .298 with 51 runs scored, 17 doubles, 16 home runs and 53 RBI. He’s still one of the best hitters in college baseball. Shortstop Logan Davidson returns after a very good freshman campaign in which he hit .286 with 56 runs scored, 12 home runs, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Third baseman Grayson Byrd also comes back after hitting .284 a year ago. This lineup does lose its top two hitters from 2017, but they should be fine.
Pitching:
This pitching staff losses it’s top four pitchers from last year and 380.1 innings from that group. They do have Ryley Gilliam back who posted a 2.57 ERA in 35 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts and 4 saves. Jacob Hennessy was also solid out of the bullpen last year with a 3.82 ERA in 30.2 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts.
2018 Outlook:
They will need to replace every start from last season in the rotation, but as always there is a ton of talent at Clemson. I could see them taking a step back this year, but they’re probably still a tournament team. The offense will have to carry them early until the starting pitching situation works itself out.
Florida State (2017 Record: 46-23, 14-14)
Last year was quite the roller coaster for the Seminoles as it looked like they were going to end their streak of making the NCAA Tournament. But they got hot at the end of the year and ended up winning the ACC Tournament. Then they beat Auburn twice to advance to the super regionals where they swept Sam Houston State to advance to the College World Series. There they lost twice to LSU to get eliminated.
Lineup:
Outfielder Jackson Lueck returns to the middle of the lineup after leading Florida State with a .318 average last year with 41 runs scored, 11 doubles, 9 home runs and 54 RBI. However, after Lueck Florida State losses it’s next four highest averages from 2017. Cal Raleigh does return behind the plate after a bit of a down year as a sophomore in which he hit just .227, but scored 51 runs, had 16 doubles, 9 home runs and 39 RBI. Outfielder J.C. Flowers is also back after starting 67-of-68 games last year. First baseman Drew Mendoza hit .270 last year in 148 at-bats with 33 runs scored, 9 doubles, 10 home runs and 33 RBI. Outfielder Rhett Alpin should be a big contributor in the lineup after hitting .322 last year in 143 at-bats with 34 runs scored, 9 doubles, 6 home runs and 24 RBI. So while they lost a lot of key at-bats, there is a solid core there and enough of a supporting cast for the Seminoles to at least be as good offensively as they were in 2017.
Pitching:
Tyler Holton returns as one of the best pitchers in the conference and in college baseball. He posted a 2.34 ERA last year in 119.1 innings pitched with 144 strikeouts. Drew Parrish should also return to the starting rotation after posting a 4.52 ERA in 91.2 innings pitched with 93 strikeouts. Cole Sands will try to improve on the 5.40 ERA he posted last year in 83.1 innings pitched with 72 strikeouts. Will Zirzow could push for a starting spot as well, or he could be a shutdown closer for the Seminoles in 2017. He had a 2.58 ERA last year in 45.1 innings pitched with 52 strikeouts. Andrew Karp is back as well after starting 12 games last year and posting a 4.48 ERA in 66.1 innings pitched with 70 strikeouts.
2018 Outlook:
This will be one of the best pitching staffs in all of college baseball this season, and they are easily in contention to host a regional and compete for an ACC championship. The concern is in the lineup, but that’s a lot easier to fix.
Louisville (2017 Record: 53-12, 23-6)
Louisville had a fantastic 2017 season in which they won 53 games and made a trip to the College World Series. They only got two games in the ACC Tournament before getting eliminated, but they breezed through the Louisville regional and the super regional against rival Kentucky. But after beating Texas A&M in their first game of the College World Series, they lost to Florida and TCU to get eliminated.
Lineup:
There will obviously be some big holes to fill in this lineup with Brendan McKay and Drew Ellis gone. Center fielder Josh Stowers is the team’s leading returning hitter. He batted .313 in 201 at-bats last year with 50 runs scored, 6 home runs, 34 RBI and 22 stolen bases. Second baseman Devin Mann started 64-of-65 games last year hitting .268 with 8 home runs and 44 RBI. Tyler Fitzgerald should return as the starter at shortstop after hitting .241 in the Cape Cod League this past summer. A newcomer to keep an eye on in 2018 will be catcher/outfielder Zach Britton. Louisville had one of the most powerful offenses in college baseball last year. While they lose a lot, I’m sure coach McDonnell will find a way to fill in the gaps and continue producing runs at a high level.
Pitching:
Nick Bennett should get a chance in the starting rotation after posting a 3.18 ERA in 65 innings as a freshman with 61 strikeouts. Sam Bordner was an All-American out of the bullpen where he had a 0.41 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched with 39 strikeouts. Adam Wolf was an All-ACC performer with a 2.18 ERA in 41.1 innings with 35 strikeouts last year. Coach McDonnell also mentioned Riley Thompson and Bryan Hoeing as players who could have a major impact on the pitching staff in 2018. There are several newcomers who could also play a big role in the pitching staff this year. That list includes Reid Detmers, Liam Jenkins, Bobby Miller and Michael Kirian.
2018 Outlook
Louisville has been a baseball powerhouse for year, so you expect the same in 2018. The biggest challenge for coach McDonnell will be how quickly he can bring this new group of guys together after losing so much talent to the MLB Draft the past two seasons.
N.C. State (2017 Record: 36-25, 16-14)
The Wolfpack had an up-and-down 2017 season, but really started to come on strong in the second half winning their last four series. They went 1-1 in the ACC Tournament and then were invited to the Lexington Regional as a three seed. After winning the first two games in dramatic fashion, they dropped two in a row to host Kentucky in what were very exciting games.
Lineup:
Brad Debo is back in the middle of the lineup after leading the team with a .335 average last year to go along with 30 runs scored, 18 doubles, 4 home runs and 43 RBI. Outfielders Josh McLain and Brock Deatherage were both drafted after last season but chose to return to the program. McLain was second on the team with a .311 average, while leading the team with 50 runs scored to go along with 6 home runs, 31 RBI and a team-high 11 stolen bases. Deatherage had a down year hitting just .218 and will be looking to improve his draft stock. Second baseman Will Wilson is back after a tremendous freshman season in which he hit .300 with 41 runs scored, 21 doubles, 8 home runs and 48 RBI. Outfielder Brett Kinneman hit .282 last year with 36 runs scored, 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBI. Stephen Pitarra should return to the lineup as well after hitting .265 last year with 37 runs scored. While this lineup does lose its best hitter from last year in Joe Dunand, I expect this offense to be even better in 2018.
Pitching:
Brian Brown should be back atop the weekend rotation after posting a 3.76 ERA last year in 67 innings pitched with 63 strikeouts. Johnny Piedmonte should be back after going 7-0 with a team-high 2.77 ERA in 61.2 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts. Joe O’Donnell led the team with 7 saves last year, while posting a 3.91 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched with 59 strikeouts. Austin Staley was solid out of the bullpen last year with a 3.59 ERA in 47.2 innings pitched with 44 strikeouts and 5 saves. Dalton Feeney was also very good as a freshman with a 2.53 ERA in 21.1 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts and a save. But he injured his elbow in fall practice.
2018 Outlook:
Last year I was a bit surprised this team made the NCAA Tournament, but then they pushed Kentucky to the edge. This year I would be shocked if they don’t make the NCAA Tournament and compete for the ACC title.
Notre Dame (2017 Record: 26-32, 10-20)
The Irish got off to a slow start losing 11 of their first 14 games. They were 23-19 the rest of the way in the regular season before losing to Florida State and Louisville in the ACC Baseball Tournament.
Lineup:
They return their top hitter from 2017 in center fielder Matt Vierling who hit .330 in 224 at-bats last year with 28 runs scored, 7 home runs, 42 RBI and 7 stolen bases. Second baseman Nick Podkul is back after hitting .285 with 34 runs scored, 5 home run, 20 RBI and 10 stolen bases. This past summer he hit 9 home runs in the Coastal Plain League. Shortstop Cole Daily returns at shortstop after hitting .244 in 2017, so the Irish should be solid up the middle. While Notre Dame wasn’t potent on offense in 2017, they do return most of their starting lineup and should be pretty good. A couple of freshman infielders who could have an immediate impact are Spencer Myers and Jared Miller.
Pitching:
The Irish lose their top three starting pitchers from 2017 and their closer, so there will be a lot of new faces on the staff. Senior Charlie Vorsheck could earn a spot in the rotation after posting a 2.88 ERA in 40.2 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts. Outside of that it’s really a guessing game on the Irish staff for 2018. A newcomer to keep an eye on is Joe Boyle.
2018 Outlook:
The one area Notre Dame will look to improve upon the most in 2018 is their defense. I think their offense will be fine, but it will be quite a challenge to replace all those innings on the pitching staff.
Wake Forest (2017 Record: 43-20, 19-11)
It was an exciting 2017 season for Wake Forest as they won the Winston-Salem Regional before ultimately losing to the eventual College World Series champion Florida Gators in an entertaining super regional.
Lineup:
“We return John Aiello and Jake Mueller to our lineup who were both All-ACC players for us last year, as well as Bruce Steel, Keegan Maronpot and Logan Harvey,” said Head Coach Tom Walter. “All five are two or three year starters for us, and all five will likely play professional baseball. They give us a good nucleus of returners.”
Third baseman Aiello hit .328 with 57 runs scored, 20 home runs and 53 RBI, while second baseman Mueller hit .345 with 58 runs scored. Steel hit 13 home runs, while playing shortstop last year, and right fielder Maronpot hit 12 home runs and drove in 41. Harvey played catcher and scored 43 runs for Wake Forest last year. A couple of newcomers to keep an eye on according to coach Walter are Chris Lanzilli, Michael Ludowig, Shane Muntz, Bobby Seymour and DJ Poteet. Wake Forest obviously loses a lot offensively with Stuart Fairchild and Gavin Sheets gone, but this should still be a powerful lineup.
Pitching:
“On the mound we return four of our top eight, and all four (Griffin Roberts, Morgan McSweeney, Colin Peluse and Chris Farish) have dynamic stuff and the ability to strike people out,” said coach Walter. “Sophomore Carter Bach has also really come on and will likely be a weekend starter.”
While Roberts worked out of the bullpen in 2017 with a 2.19 ERA and 8 saves in 53.1 innings with 80 strikeouts, he is expected to be in the rotation for 2018. McSweeney had a 3.50 ERA in 36 innings with 48 strikeouts last year, while Peluse had a 3.54 ERA in 40.2 innings with 37 strikeouts. Farish struck out 32 batters in 18.1 innings, but suffered a 5.89 ERA. Bach posted a 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings with 19 strikeouts in 2017. So while they do have a strong group of pitchers returning, they also lose their top three starters from 2017, which combined for 280 innings. A couple of newcomers who could have an immediate impact on the pitching staff include Jared Shuster, Antonio Menendez and Shane Muntz.
2018 Outlook:
“We won’t have the top to bottom offensive fire power that we had last year, and are missing experienced left-handed bats, but our pitching should be improved. If Farish can lock down the end of the game for us, our staff could be as good as any in the league.” – Head Coach Tom Walter
